Yoho has been married to his wife, Carolyn, for 36 years.<ref name="bio"/> They reside in Gainesville, [[Florida]]. They have 3 children: Katie, Lauren, and Tyler. <ref name="bio">[http://www.tedyoho.com/aboutted.html ''Ted Yoho for Congress'' "About Ted" Accessed February 14, 2012]</ref>

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Yoho has been married to his wife, Carolyn, for 36 years.<ref name="bio"/> They reside in Gainesville, [[Florida]]. They have 3 children: Katie, Lauren, and Tyler.<ref name="bio">[http://www.tedyoho.com/aboutted.html ''Ted Yoho for Congress'' "About Ted" Accessed February 14, 2012]</ref>

Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[6] For more information pertaining to Yoho's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[7]

National security

American response in Syria

Yoho expressed doubt in early September 2013 over who launched the chemical weapons attack in Syria in August 2013.[8]

“There are reports that the rebel groups have used it, too. And until we have 100% decisive evidence, I think it would be wrong for America to intervene at this moment,” he said on September 3, 2013.[8]

After participating in a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Yoho said he could not support military action unless the U.S. was directly threatened or its allies were attacked by a foreign aggressor.[9]

"I do not see a direct threat to U.S. security from the civil war in Syria," he said on September 4, 2013. "If we were to (attack) ... this would be an act of aggression on a sovereign nation that did not attack us. I don't think it's constitutional."[9]

"It would be an act of war, and I don't want to go there," Yoho said. "Our young men and women have been through enough in the last 11 years."[9]

DHS Appropriations

Yoho voted in favor of HR 2217 - the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[10]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Yoho voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[10]

CISPA (2013)

Yoho voted in opposition to HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[11] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[10]

NDAA

Yoho voted against HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[10]

Economy

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[12] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[13] Yoho voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[14]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funds the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[15] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Yoho voted against HR 2775.[16]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Yoho voted in favor of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States. The vote largely followed party lines.[10]

Healthcare

Health Care Reform Rules

Yoho voted in favor of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.[10]

Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act

Yoho voted in favor of HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.[10]

Social issues

Amash amendment

Yoho voted in favor of House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.[10]

Conservative Fight Club

According to the conservative website RedState, Yoho is 1 of 16 U.S. House members in the "Conservative Fight Club", a designation meant to describe the gold standard of conservatives, as outlined by RedState. They are the 16 Republicans who voted against the continuing appropriations resolution to avoid the impending government shutdown in March. This type of resolution is used to fund government agencies when a formal federal budget has not been approved.[17]

Campaign themes

2012

Jobs and the Economy: Excerpt: "The mistakes made by politicians, financial institutions, lending houses and their lobbyists should be remembered and never repeated as the nation strives to recover. No single solution will foster the change our country and state need but we can help create an environment of certainty for all businesses. We can create it by simplifying the tax code, repealing Obamacare and taking a scalpel to all the job killing rules, regulations and mandates."

American energy: Excerpt: "We need to drill here, drill now and drill responsibly. We must build the Keystone Pipeline and decrease regulations on energy companies to utilize our Nation’s natural resources. In addition, I will support all forms of alternative energy provided they are market driven and are not subsidized by the government. Finally, it’s time to abolish the Department of Energy."

Spending and our national debt: "Spending more than we take in, printing money at rates that devalue our dollar and too many taxpayer dollars being sent overseas as foreign aid are all adding to our economic uncertainty. I will not only evaluate existing federal programs but act to end wasteful projects and programs immediately. We must stop unnecessary spending. The bottom line is that the U.S. government cannot continue to live outside of its means."

National defense: Excerpt: "Every single legislator needs to support our military. If we are to expect our troops to protect America at all costs, then we must guarantee to do likewise. By allocating the proper resources to our troops we can maximize their protection while serving our nation. We must also care for them after they complete their service. We should recognize the sacrifice that military families make while a loved one serves this nation. Finally, we need to stand with our allies and never waiver in our support."

Immigration: Excerpt: "We need to secure the border. We have not harnessed the technology, infrastructure and man power to protect our borders and we must do so immediately. I will introduce a workable guest worker program that provides immigrant workers with a national ID card and mandates they pay taxes through a national tax ID number. Finally, the process to become a citizen needs to be completely streamlined and English needs to be recognized as the official language."

Taxes: Excerpt: "Our tax code needs to be simplified. I support the Fair Tax. At the minimum, the corporate tax rate should be lowered and locked in for an extended period of time that would allow businesses to make medium to long term investment plans. The estate and gift tax must be repealed."

Term Limits: Excerpt: "In addition to personally pledging to only serving 4 terms (8 years) in the House of Representatives, I would support a constitutional amendment that would enact congressional term limits."

Abortion: " I am pro-life. As a Christian, I believe life begins at conception and I oppose tax payer funding of abortion."

2nd Amendment/ Right to bear arms: "The right to bear arms is a birth right and should never be threatened. I will fight to preserve our Constitutional rights. I am proud to say I hold an A rating from the NRA."

Media

Yoho spent a large portion of his campaign funds on his only TV ad of the primary cycle depicting “career politicians” rolling around in a pig trough and slinging mud at each other.[24]

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Yoho is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Yoho raised a total of $633,947 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 13, 2013.[25]

2012

Breakdown of the source of Yoho's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Yoho won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Yoho's campaign committee raised a total of $631,697 and spent $554,046.[35] This is less than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[36]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Yoho missed 1 of 89 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 1.1%, which is better than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[39]

Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Yoho's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $970,359 and $2,503,347. That averages to $1,736,853, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Yoho ranked as the 161st most wealthy representative in 2012.[40]